By Gary Martin
I remember watching this moon landing with my family on a little black-and-white tv like it was yesterday. It was mesmerizing, and a powerful message to young me that things you thought impossible, were indeed possible. True, I was hoping the moon actually was made of cheese and had little green men on it, but hey, there’s nothing wrong with an active imagination. Right?
Gary B. Martin is an illustrator and animator who has lived on the Upper West Side for more than 30 years. His illustrations appear in the Rag on Sundays, chronicling life in the neighborhood, New York City, and the Universe. See them all here. For a broader range of Gary’s work, including animations and other motion graphics, please visit www.martoons.com
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I think of a time when all things were possible. Need to hang on to that again.
I do,
Every day I wake up 🙏
I was away at sleep away camp. Housed in the infirmary with swollen glands. The vivid memory I recall is the Doctor excitedly bringing me in to watch this amazing vision on a big black and white television. Now ask me what I ate for breakfast? 😅. Thanks for jogging my memory Gary. Great illustration!
Thanks for bringing back a sweet memory, it’s a nice break from the reality we face these days.
I so remember this day! Thanks, Gary!
Yes, an amazing feat.
One hears that some people think it was all faked. I was surprised recently to find someone I know who thinks the “fake moon landing” thesis is likely – like, the flag blowing when there is no wind on the Moon, etc … I think to fake the whole thing may have taken more skill and coordination than the actual moon landing took, lol.
Ohhhh I watched it then (sitting on the floor in front of the b/w TV in my parents bedroom) and countless times since. I wanted to be the first “girl astronaut” but, alas, they weren’t hiring so I followed other dreams. Happy July 20 Gary!
Camp Walt Whitman, watching it with 400 other campers on a screen that was about 12 inches by 12 inches – did not see very much. Great cartoon, Gary!
Very nice!
Me too, Gary!
This practically choked me up. Okay, it did. Beautiful & powerful.
Like it was yesterday . . . if our country was able to land on the moon, surely we can house our homeless, feed the hungry and make more progress with cancer cures, among other things.
Here, here !
Some things you never forget! 🚀👨🚀
I know exactly where I was and sitting this very minute 56 years ago today at 10:17 AM (Hawaiian time) July 20, 1969
I was sitting with the rock group I discovered called The Rascals – (Dino, Eddie, Gene and Felix) and Sid Bernstein (manager) in the living room of our summer house we rented for the month of July and August watching the astronauts of Apollo 11 land on the moon!
How’s that for memory?
I love that this image was drawn by a human, and that West Side Rag seems to have a strong policy of NO garbage ChatGPT writing allowed, and no garbage AI clipart.
And atop the RCA B&W TV that epochal day perched my Gulf Oil 1:48-scale paper LEM model, like this one (https://jleslie48.com/Image10.jpg).
It’s not too late to DIY (https://jleslie48.com/guylem_gold45.pdf)!
Terrific work Gary. Memories are powerfully potent! Love this cartoon!
Was this the first time we stuck a flag in something that didn’t belong to someone else?
Nice to evoke the hopefulness of that time.
Great event, great time.
Memorable event! Memorable cartoon! Thank you Gary 😊